“Shoreham” is new addition to American history series

Vintage Shoreham: Shoreham resident Byron Sunderland was an American Presbyterian minister; he served as chaplain of the U.S. Senate during the Civil War. Shoreham’s famous residents are featured in the new book , “Shoreham”, part of the Images of America series.

One of the most treasured series of photo books in the USA are the popular Images of America trade-paperbacks released by South Carolina-based Arcadia Publishing. A clever idea, this book series showcases vintage photos from around America; in many instances, the books provide interested residents of cities and towns with a rich, visual record of what came before.

Many Vermont communities are already a part of the Images of America series—mostly recently Middlebury and Bristol.

The latest to be added to the series is Shoreham, Vt., an agricultural town which was carved out of the wilderness along Lake Champlain by settlers beginning in 1761.

Assigned the task of assembling “Shoreham” for Arcadia was local teacher Susan Holt MacIntire, also Shoreham’s town historian.

MacIntire has written two other books about Shoreham history; she is clearly the ideal chronicler for this new book.

MacIntire brings her wealth of knowledge of the subject along with access to over 200 vintage images culled from the Shoreham Historical Society, area libraries and museums, and never-before-seen contributions from local residents. All of this makes the book a superb addition to the publisher’s growing library of Vermont visual history.

As you’ll learn in the book, Shoreham is 36-square miles in size and boasts some of the most fertile farm land in the Champlain Valley. Through the photos and detailed captions in MacIntire’s book, you’ll discover that there’s more to Shoreham than just apples—even though there are still lots of orchard-related images in the book to satisfy the most demanding of cider makers.

According to MacIntire, Shoreham morphed from being Vermont’s largest sheep producer—during the early 1800s—to primarily apple orchards and dairy farms by the early 1900s, although—sadly—agriculture has been in slow decline in the area, a nd elsewhere, in recent decades.

In its day, Shoreham had woolen mills, a hydro-powered ironworks, limestone quarries, even a few unusual enterprises you’ll learn about in the book.

MacIntire sets out the story of Shoreham by including its sole U.S. congressman, its two state governors, and its one U.S. vice president. Since we don’t like plot spoilers, you’ll have to pick up a copy of “Shoreham” to find out the identities of these four notable gentlemen (you’ll be surprised when you find out).

Also included in MacIntire’s book is a rich collection of pictures of everyday life and work in Shoreham Village, Larrabee’s Point, Richville, East Shoreham, farmsteads and orchards, and schools. The town’s notable residents are also featured.

“Shoreham” debuts Aug. 12 and will be available in bookstores, through independent retailers, and online at www.arcadiapublishing.com.